Police arrest woman suspected of setting multiple fires

A suspected serial arsonist was arrested over the weekend in connection with a string fires dating from June, Irvine police said.

Jana Marie Spires, 39, of Irvine, was arrested in the Woodbridge area outside Springbrook Elementary School, where police had spotted a stack of pizza boxes that had been set on fire about 8 a.m. Saturday, Lt. Julia Engen said in an e-mail.

Among the fires tied to Spires were a garage fire, vehicle fires, and trash and trash cans that were set ablaze, Engen said. Damages varied from total loss of some vehicles to minor damage.

DNA evidence was collected from three of the fires, and the Orange County Crime Laboratory determined that the arsonist was female.

Police began surveillance in October after it was determined that a series of fires weeks apart were connected.

No one was injured in any of the incidents of alleged arson.

— Lauren Williams